Michael O'Keefe
This SyFy drama stars Jason Gedrick as Lieutenant Richard Stanley leading a group of U.S. Army special forces in Afghanistan on a final mission before heading home. The group is ambushed and taken prisoner by Taliban soldiers in hopes of releasing or trading them for money or Taliban prisoners. The Americans free themselves after what sounds like an earthquake. Among the ruins they prepare for a rescue chopper when a creature emerges that resembles a giant fanged earthworm.Jeff Renfroe directs and kudos to the cinematography of Brendan Steacy. Action filled horror/thriller. Nice creature sequences.Rounding out the cast: Elias Toufexis, Tamara Hope, Jonas Khan, Andrea Coscal, Sebastian Knapp and Roman Florentin.
Andrew McGregor
I wasn't expecting much but I found this movie well written with none of the clunky lines that make me wince. There is genuine suspense and some interesting inter-cultural parallels. The CGI and monster logic are not great but the characters are well done. It's not Aliens or Terminator 2 but I'd say it's more memorable than most.I thought the Afgan characters were interesting with thought provoking stuff about what it's like to be in the middle of a civil war. The tension around the "are they on our side or not" was very effective.The US army characters were a bit stereotypical but well written and acted.I really liked the ending but others might find it a bit grim. Thought provoking to me.
schultz1963
I saw the adds for this film and at first thought it might be cool. Well i was wrong. As usual they again can't get the little things right. Like rank on the helmets that are upside down. Name tapes that go on Gor-Tex rain gear. Tabs and badges that NO private should be waring. A Capt. that says "SIR" to a LT. A military man with a goatee...come on. Who was the military adviser on this flick. At least they showed real M-4s and not some AK-47 dressed up like an M-16. Its little things like that, that drive me nuts on these made for TV flicks.Also someone please tell me why it always seems fitting for someone to sacrifice themselves when its not really necessary. I hope that someday that the SYFY channel gets it right.
MartianOctocretr5
Another SyFy ditty, with suspiciously familiar creatures and plot lines. This one looks like a hybrid mix of Tremors and an assortment of "Marines fight monsters" movies like Aliens.Giant slinkies with vacuum sweeper tendencies look for quick meals in the Afghan desert. While this week's squad of Marine victims fight with Taliban insurgents, the faceless maws of the Sand Serpents sneak up on both. As per usual, characters are knocked off one-by-one, first with the nameless ones with no lines, then eliminating those with a few lines, finally getting to the top-billing folks.It would be easy to dismiss this one, but it actually does have its moments. The characters that survive more then the first 20 minutes or so are actually developed somewhat, and the acting isn't bad at all. There's a child in the cast who does especially well. The special effects appear cheap in places, as if done on a home PC. However, since the premise is so bizarre, the hokey effects fit in a weird way. One character who never shuts up has the exact fate you hope for and know is coming sooner or later (and that finally shuts him up, permanently lol).This one's just for laughs, like the old MST3K flicks.
AD
